Evaluation of bismuth subgallate and adrenaline paste as haemostat in tonsillectomy bleeding

Haemorrhage is a frequent and often feared complication of tonsillectomy. This has prompted the use of a variety of topical haemostatics such as bismuth subgallate to achieve haemostasis and reduce the risk of postoperative haemorrhage. In this study effect of bismuth subgallate and adrenaline paste was investigated. A total of twenty five subjects undergoing tonsillectomy were randomly recruited. The distinctive feature of study was that each patient constituted a matched pair, with left tonsillar fossa acting as control and right tonsillar fossa as trial side. Bismuth subgallate adrenaline paste was made by mixing 13 gm of Bismuth subgallate powder with 10 ml of normal saline and 0.35 ml of 1: 1000 adrenaline. The application of twin reagent paste resulted in reduced blood loss in trial fosse (60.8 ± 19.3 ml) as compared to control fossa (91.2 ± 20.27) (p < 0.0001). Similarly the average number of ligatures applied to control bleeding was also less in trial fosse. Only one patient reported reactionary haemorrhage while there was no report of secondary haemorrhage from amongst tonsillar fosse on trial side. However, two patients presented with secondary haemorrhage from control side fosse.